


Home Is Where The Heart Is

by Owlwithafringe



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Banter, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drabble, Established Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, Humor, Hunith being amazing as always, Implied Sexual Content, Insecure Arthur, M/M, Meet the Family, Modern Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-16
Updated: 2014-06-16
Packaged: 2018-02-04 23:32:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1797364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlwithafringe/pseuds/Owlwithafringe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You do know I completely and utterly refuse to have sex with you whilst your mother is in the house."</p><p>Merlin stopped and looked at Arthur, with a considering look. "So if I managed to get her out of the house for a couple of hours, then could we..?"</p><p>"I am a man of honour and integrity!"</p><p>"You're a man who's no fun, that's what you are."</p><p>Merlin flopped back beside Arthur, and nestled into him. Arthur placed an arm around him and snorted. "I'm plenty of fun."</p><p>"Arthur dear, your idea of excitement is the 10'o'clock news." </p><p>"It's something perfectly respectable to get excited about.The 10'o'clock news is a thrilling roller coaster of cutting-edge journalism and tantalising current events, worldwide."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Is Where The Heart Is

Merlin first asked Arthur if he wanted to come back to Ealdor with him, to spend the October holidays with him and his mother whilst they were curled against one another after Merlin so eloquently put it, 'going at it like rabbits'. Arthur was hesitant to accept the invitation. Not because he wasn't committed enough to the relationship to 'getting to meet the parents' stage, but rather because he was.

Of course Arthur wanted to meet the woman who had brought Merlin into the world, the woman who had raised him and clothed him and chased the monsters from under the bed away from him and who had _loved_ him. He wanted to meet the woman who shaped the boy into the man he had grown to love today.

But he was terrified.

Arthur wasn't an insecure person, or an anxious person. Quite the opposite if you asked anyone who knew him. And even if he was scared, he wasn't one to show it, like in this instance. 

He was terrified that Merlin's mother would hate him. He was terrified that she would turn around and tell him that he wasn't good enough for her son.

So Arthur had decided not to answer him but rather distract him. Whilst curled up in a big bed, it wasn't hard for Arthur to think of way how.

After Arthur's distraction had proven successful, Arthur sank into the warm of the pillows and let his eyes droop shut. He'd heard a blur of voice - Merlin's voice. The words were indistinguishable but the soft tones of his voice washed over him, soothingly like a lullaby. The last thing Arthur heard was quite obviously a question, though what it was about was unknown. Arthur grunted an answer at Merlin, so that Arthur could finally lose himself to the blackness of sleep.

It wasn't until the next morning after Merlin had gone to work that Arthur realised what he'd agreed to.

 

*****

 

He'd spoken to Hunith over Skype of course, and on the phone but it wasn't the same as meeting someone for the first time, face to face. For starters Arthur couldn't get the warm hug that he was immediately enveloped with over Skype, or the home cooked lasagna that Hunith had made especially for their tea. And it even didn't compare, seeing embarrassing baby photos on a blurry webcam over seeing them whilst perched on the Emrys' household couch, peering over Hunith's shoulder as she points out the different pictures in her photo albums and recalls the anecdote that went with the photo.

She even gave Arthur one or two of them with a knowing smile and a wink. 

Arthur walked around the house in a bit of a daze. It seemed so odd that all Merlin's hopes, and dreams, and fears, and ambitions had all begun in this place.

The house was on the outskirts of the village that Merlin had grown up in. It wasn't a huge house by any means, but it was of a reasonable size. Arthur wasn't an expert in architecture but to him it look like an old cottage that had been renovated.

It was homely, and cluttered and just so utterly _Merlin_ that it made him laugh.

 

*****

 

After Hunith had had enough humiliating Merlin, it was late so both parties decided to go to bed.

That's how Arthur ended up squished in a single bed the Attic, which happened to Merlin's old room. Hunith had offered to swap rooms so that they could get her double bed but Arthur was curious about Merlin's room.

The two men's bodies were contorted together, in an effort to get comfortable whilst staying balanced on the bed, like a weird horizontal game of Twister. Arthur had Merlin's knee digging into his hip and he was pretty sure his elbow was in Merlin's rib cage but it was a good as it was going to get.

Arthur laid with his head on Merlin's chest whilst Merlin's hand threaded through his hair. Arthur looked around the dark room, trying to distinguish the different silhouettes. There were old band and tv show posters hanging off the slanted ceiling, so corners falling in on themselves as they no longer hung onto the wall. There was a desk in the corner with small mountain ranges of books covering it.

Arthur was trying to guess what the odd shape in the other corner of the room was when Merlin's hand left his hair and traveled down Arthur's body, stroking his abdomen. Merlin slid down the bed a little so his face was nearly opposite Arthur's.

Merlin started pressing little kisses on all the bits of skin he could find - on Arthur's cheekbones, nipping at his throat.

"Merlin?" Arthur asked, his voiced in a hushed whisper.

"Mmmm?" Merlin responded, not looking up from his task.

"You do know I completely and utterly refuse to have sex with you whilst your mother is in the house."

Merlin stopped and looked at Arthur, with a considering look.

"So if I managed to get her out of the house for a couple of hours, then could we..?"

"I am a man of honour and integrity!"

"You're a man who's no fun, that's what you are."

Merlin flopped back beside Arthur, and nestled into him. Arthur placed an arm around him and snorted.

"I'm plenty of fun."

"Arthur dear, your idea of excitement is the 10'o'clock news." 

"It's something perfectly respectable to get excited about. The 10'o'clock news is a thrilling roller coaster of cutting-edge journalism and tantalising current events, worldwide."

"And now, for the weather." Merlin teased.

Arthur huffed but said no more. He didn't want himself and Merlin to get into one of their legendary debates - and that's what they were, whatever Morgana said. Definitely not foreplay - whilst Hunish was trying to sleep downstairs. They lay for a couple of moments in silence, before Merlin decided to break it.

"She adores you, you know?"

"Who does?"

"My Mother."

"Really?" For some reason Arthur felt like a lot was hinging on that confirmation.

"Uhuh. God knows why. I guess someone has to."

Relief rushed through Arthur's body, allowing him to relax a little. Arthur had thought the meeting had gone well, but he wasn't sure if it was his just misguided sense of hope making him think that.

"You're just jealous _Mer_ lin, that your own Mother loves me more than you."

"Hush Arthur, some of us are trying to sleep."

"You're a sore loser Merlin, you know that?"

"Perhaps so, but not as sore as you when West Ham loses a game."

"You filthy, filthy liar. You said you would never speak of that."

"What? Of your epic tantrums? How could i not?"

"Well at least your wonderful Mother has supplied me with wonderful blackmail material of you, which can and will be uploaded to any social media site of my discretion, should you bring up my 'tantrums' again."

Arthur felt Merlin's chuckle, and smiled in spite of himself.

"Touché. But you're still a clotpole." 

"Hmm.. Whatever you say Merlin." Arthur replied, his voice shrouded with sleep.

With that Arthur closed his eyes, and let sleep claim him, dreaming about Merlin on adventures as a child.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave kudos and comments, feedback is always appreciated and motivates me to write more! Come and find me on Tumblr at **Owlwithafr[Owlwithafringe](http://owlwithafringe.tumblr.com/)inge** , to see updates on fics or to leave me a prompt.


End file.
